For the Record - "Belong"

Musically speaking, 2009 was a dying year. But thanks to a team of indie superheroes including Animal Collective, Passion Pit and The Dirty Projectors, humanity was saved from the soul-sucking clutches of Susan Boyle and auto-tune. Although no definitive list of music’s heroes exists, one thing’s for certain: no indie Justice League would be complete without the hot and fuzzy eponymous debut of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

Two years later, the Pains are back with their sophomore effort, Belong. Just as loud and twee as their debut, Belong exhibits the same indebtedness to 90s dream pop and shoegaze that the band has always worn on its sleeve. Of course, this comes as no surprise, especially considering their collaboration with British producers Flood and Alan Moulder (acclaimed for their work with The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and The Smashing Pumpkins). In other words, you can expect this album to be chock-full of ear-splitting guitars, wispy vocals and infectious melodies.

And that’s exactly what you get. After 15 seconds of mock delicacy, the title track explodes into a whir of distortion and breathy intimations of adolescent love. Refusing to settle down, the album races from the rumbling bass and cheesy synths of highlight “Heart in Your Heartbreak” to the groovy swirl and breakneck beat of “The Body.” But halfway through the album, the Pains offer a bit of respite from all the thunder. The jangly guitars and swelling chorus of “Anne With an E” begin the soft descent, while “Even In Dreams,” at once confident and vulnerable, sounds like a hard rock cover of a slow-dance scene from some mid-80s Molly Ringwald movie.

One of the distinguishing features about The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is lead singer Kip Berman’s boyish innocence and shrouded delivery. Ever faithful to his shoegaze roots, Berman views his voice as yet another texture in the mix, and although he has unearthed his vocals from the reverb-soaked trenches of their debut, he’s still nearly indecipherable. When you finally figure out what he’s saying, you notice how his childlike croon often belies his dark, melancholic subject matter. Sex, drugs and adolescent fears and desires pervade his lyrics, as heard on “Girl of 1,000 Dreams,” another of Belong’s highlights: “Held my breath, thought of death and things I’d like to do ’til then: See my friends, lose my head, wake up with you in my bed.” Thanks to Berman’s earnest and youthful delivery, these emotionally charged lyrics never cross over into over-sentimental babble.

So how exactly have the Pains progressed over the past two years? And what’s the difference between Belong and their debut, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, anyway? Well, for one, Belong is a more mature album, leaving the band more streamlined and polished without having sold its soul. Their more profound dynamic shifts, for example, allow for subtler verses and more arresting choruses. But for the most part, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are still the same old twee-pop band that saved the day in 2009. Mighty guitar riffs and saccharine hooks still abound, and their albums still deserve to be cranked up to 11. Let’s hope those aspects never change.